ABSTRACT

Kidnapping for ransom is a worldwide phenomenon and Nigeria is not an exception. Kidnapping is one of Nigeria’s most pressing security and socioeconomic challenges. Once a sporadic crime, it has evolved into an organized and profitable criminal enterprise that threatens national stability and human safety. This paper examines the causes, operational modes, kidnappers target, theoretical framework and policy inadequacies driving the increasing causes of kidnapping in Nigeria.

The study draws on secondary data from government reports, security analyses, and scholarly publications. Findings reveal that high unemployment, poverty, weak law enforcement and corruption are the major drivers of kidnapping activities. The crime has had devastating effects on economic development, social cohesion, and citizens’ psychological well-being. This paper recommends stronger institutional reform, community-based security initiatives, economic empowerment programs, and strict penalties for offenders to curb the menace.

INTRODUCTION

Among other criminal cases in Nigeria, kidnapping appears to be one of the most technical and most lucrative in nature, considering the fact that a lot of people are involved. Unannounced kidnappers have a powerful mode of operation which creates fear in individuals because they are uncertain of the next person to be kidnapped. The operators of armed robbery can kidnap immediate family members and divulge all round information about whoever is their target. Kidnapping is not new in Nigeria and is one of the challenges facing the country at present, though it takes place in all parts of the country; it is most rampant in the South East and South South.

In recent time, apart from the Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen terrorism, attention has been turned to the issue of kidnapping and stringent measures has been taken to tackle the menace, both national and international bodies are coming together to see if the incidence can be curbed.

Many engage in kidnapping business for different purposes and missions. Some are politically masterminded, especially among political opponent, some do it for ritual sacrifice, or sell the body parts, that is, in situations where the kidnapped persons are never seen again even after huge ransoms are paid. Some engage in this heinous crime solely for the sake of money; In this case, the victims are released after the payment of the agreed ransom.

In all, kidnapping can be grouped according to motives into; political kidnapping, kidnapping for marriage, ritual kidnapping and monetary kidnapping. Investigations have shown that ordinary citizens participate in this atrocious crime in order to fill their pockets, usually the youths employed by rich men who conduct kidnapping as a modern business. They target rich families and sometimes demand colossal amounts of money as ransom. Also, it has been traced among community leaders and religious leaders who are in the business of divulging information with the aim of receiving their share after the deal. This has raised suspense among Nigerians about who to trust or confide in. Since kidnapping is on the increase in Nigeria, there is a corresponding increase in the level of insecurity in the country. The government and their security agents ranging from police military personnel and special anti-robbery squad (SARS) have not achieved considerable results, and many security personnel have been killed by kidnappers who are sophisticatedly equipped. Most often, the security agents meet Kidnappers unprepared and considering the fact that the kind of guns these security officers possess are inferior, they stand the risk of losing their lives. Yet, it is within the jurisdiction of the government to make provision for the security of its citizenry.

It is no longer an exaggeration to say that the Nigerian police are poorly trained and poorly equipped. And to worsen the situation, the government of today appears to have a mission different from the security or the people. Many have been raped, traumatized and killed without receiving any help from the government (Shuaiba 2015). Since it is obvious that security in Nigeria is porous, it becomes imperative for all persons to protect themselves and be vigilant at all times. People in churches, mosques, markets, schools and homes, as well as the highway motorists, are susceptible to this menace and they should try as a matter of urgency to pray to God for divine security and Intervention.

2.0. Concept of Kidnapping

Many definitions have been given to kidnapping due to peoples’ diverse views and opinions. According to Inyang and Abraham (2013), kidnapping is defined as “the forcible seizure taking away and unlawful detention of a person against his/her will.” In another definition, rage and Alabi (2017) presented kidnapping as the “forceful or fraudulent abduction of an individual or a group of individuals for reasons ranging from economic, political and religious to struggle for self-determination “In agreement with the two definitions above, kidnapping is usually motivated by financial gains or political benefits. Thus, Opportunists or regular criminals as well as political opponents can resort to kidnapping in order to illegally obtain economic benefits or have their demands granted.

In many cases, kidnapping is a business involving a demand for ransom, which may vary considerably depending on the victim’s personal status. Likewise, Uzorma and Nwanegbo-Ben (2014) defined kidnapping as the “act of seizing and detaining or carrying away a person by unlawful force or by fraud, and often with a demand for ransom. For an act to be deemed kidnapping, it must involve coercive movement of a victim from one place to another. The detention or seizure or that person be it a child or an adult for a period of time, depending on the willingness of the relatives to respond positively to the negotiations. In most cases, the victims’ eyes are blindfolded so that they cannot see or locate the place of detention.

Many are detained in places far away from their families. In their forceful movement, a lot of gunshots may be released into the air to create fear and tension, especially in the victim who would be dragged without his consent. Consequently, resistance, struggling and refusal to obey and follow the kidnappers have led to the untimely death of some victims. The perpetrators are often tempted to shoot sporadically for safety in order to accomplish the mission, not minding who gets affected. From the foregoing, there is no best way of defining kidnapping. However, in a nutshell, kidnapping refers to the abduction and captivity or a person typically to obtain a ransom. Sometimes kidnappers hold their captives longer in order to demand more ransom from the victims’ relatives or friends. Some families go as far as borrowing money from outsiders or selling their properties in order to save the lives of their beloved ones. The danger of not responding immediately could lead to the untimely death of the victim. Many have died during the time of torture, especially those with health challenges. Inyang and Abraham (2013) added that it is allegedly regarded as a restriction of someone’s liberty, which violates the provision of freedom of movement as stipulated in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where every other law takes its root.

Causes of Kidnapping in Nigeria

Kidnapping as a heinous crime is a complex issue, that is why both scholars and concerned individuals have engaged in intense speculations and investigations or studies, so as to know the various reasons and causes of kidnapping.

Hazen and Horner (2007) noted that people commit this crime for two obvious reasons which are: political bargaining and economic gains. These two aspects give a broad and vivid classification of kidnapping in order to clearly understand the underlying factors of the menace, especially regarding the idea of ransom. However, apart from these two broad reasons stated above, many have been kidnapped and abducted by criminals for different reasons and intentions, which include illicit intercourse, rape, selling of human parts for ritual sacrifice, political revenge, slavery, ransom-begging, marriage, murder, assassination, unlawful activities, and for other purposes (NCRB 2014). Considering the type of kidnapping recent atrocity for the sole aim of survival.

Okoli & Agada (2014) discussed how poverty, unemployment, corruption and poor governance drive kidnapping crimes in Nigeria. Nte (2016) supports the argument that poses a major security challenge and is tied to ineffective policing and weak institutions. Weak law enforcement and judicial processes continue to encourage repeated offenses.

Ibrahim and Mukhar (2016) maintained that lack of available employment opportunity among the youths also plays a fundamental role in the rise of kidnapping. Similarly, Inyang and Abraham (2016) observed that Nigeria has a large number of adolescents living and making a living on the streets without any help from the government and besides, the government is not interested in helping. The fact that they are neglected gives them the morale to terrorize the society without any remorse.

In Nigeria and many other developing countries in Africa and Asia, the political factor is another cause of kidnapping. Many politicians engage the services of kidnappers to deal with their political opponents and their political power, popularity and economic muscles. Zannoni (2003) called this type “political kidnapping” where the overall objective is to promote the political aims of a particular political group or movement. In this case, a ransom is usually demanded to obtain money for the group in order to fund their campaign and other activities, this is in line with Catlin Group (2012) who added that political extremists use kidnapping as a political weapon and as a means of financing their activities.

Closely related to unemployment is poverty, which has ravaged the masses. Nigeria has the highest number of people in Africa living below average lives. Zannoni (2003) categorized people compelled by poverty to get involved in kidnapping as criminal kidnappers, whose main motive is to obtain ransoms from families or business enterprises for survival. This economic deprivation has planted the seeds of kidnapping as a way of getting money by these poor youths from various communities.

Religion in Nigeria is a threat to the peaceful existence of the country. It is obvious that two religions are practiced in Nigeria but these two religions have never been in harmony due to issues of beliefs. Dodo (2010) noted that the Islamic religion has never been in agreement with the Christian religion. Each religious group is making frantic efforts to be on top, especially the Islamic religion. In most cases, Christians are kidnapped and killed secretly just to reduce their number. Severally, sudden disappearance of Christians living in the Northern part of Nigeria raises tension. Boko Haram’s kidnappings are both political and religious, according to their leaders and the Nigerian government.

4.1. Politicians

As already pointed out, kidnapping is not a new problem in Nigeria, and it is one of the biggest challenges. The country faces many problems, including unemployment, corruption and poverty. But what bothers many people is who are the targets of kidnappers? According to Nseabasi (2009), the top kidnapping operations are masterminded by government officials, opposition groups, unrewarded or uncompensated members of election rigging, militant groups and others. This is prominent especially during political elections, as often observed. The ambitious political candidates aspiring for one position or the other tend to kidnap their opponents as a way of silencing them or as a measure to drain their financial muscles. In this case, after the victim pays the ransom, he or she cannot have enough for political campaign, this has been the fate of many political aspirants. So kidnapping is seen as an instrument for political vendetta and settling of political scores.

4.2. Businessmen and Religious Leaders

Apart from the politicians, another set of people who are kidnapper’s targets are the businessmen. Several cases of businessmen who were kidnapped have been recorded recently in which large sums of money were expected as ransom. This has affected many, especially the importers, who cannot stand on their feet anymore after spending in the hands of the kidnappers. It is unfortunate that the perpetrators of this menace have equally extended their operations to religious leaders. Oftentimes, Pastors, Reverend Fathers and Bishops have been kidnapped. In 2016 and 2017, it was reported that two catholic Reverend Fathers in Orlu Dioceses were kidnapped and huge ransoms were demanded. The same happened in Catholic diocese of Aba where two priests were kidnapped to an unknown destination, though through the prayers of the members, they escaped.

5.0. Operational Patterns of Kidnapping Network

The lucrative nature of kidnapping in recent times has made many young people to join the business. This time, there are different groups with different modes of operation. Investigations carried out confirmed that each group has a gang leader and specified operations within its jurisdiction, as assigned by their overall leader in the state. So, a person could be kidnapped by one group today and by tomorrow, another group would kidnap him again. This is why many victims have been kidnapped more than once or twice, though this depends on the information received about the victims before their kidnapping. If two or three groups receive the same information by their respective informants, the tendency that more than one group will kidnap the person becomes obvious.

Most of the victims of kidnapping who narrated their experiences made it known that ‘kidnappers’ camps are usually lonely zones like deserted bushes, forests or buildings in different villages, where people hardly visit. Anywhere such places are located, they make them their abode and they become danger zones, they are ready to shoot at any person they see within that area.

Each group of kidnappers is divided into three 3 teams, namely the tax force, the operation team and the guards. The business of the tax force is to negotiate with the family of the victim on what should be the ransom, the people in this team are mainly the leaders of the gang. The work of the operation team is to kidnap the victims; the people in this group are well trained and fortified with sophisticated guns. During operation, they are willing to kill provided they succeed in their mission. The work of the guards is to keep watch on those already kidnapped. They receive instructions from their gang leader(s) either to release or to kill the victim, depending on the outcome of the negotiation.

Kidnappers do not operate in isolation; they have networks groups that are strategically positioned in different localities and streets. It has been observed that some street boys belong to kidnapping groups. Their work is to monitor and give accurate information about the rich or businessmen in the street. They study their movements and report regularly to their gang. Some jobless men and women equally serve in this capacity. They roam the streets just for the purpose of investigating some individuals who are well-to-do. Sometimes, you see them in different churches, especially in weddings. Their work is to study who makes the highest donation of money during launching and other project donations.

It is on record that most kidnappers work for politicians who supply them with ammunition during political elections. Those sophisticated arms are never retrieved after elections. In a situation where the guys are not well compensated, they resort to using the arms for kidnapping, armed robbery, etc. Apart from that, those who have specialized in the business go as far as buying their guns secretly, while some get their arms from security agents like the police, military and other armed forces in Nigeria. The idea of holding sophisticated guns equips and prepares them to challenge any opposing force during operations. Most of the kidnapping activities are carried out in a clandestine manner. But in a situation where they are faced with a challenge, they start shooting sporadically either to scare people away or to challenge their opponents.

According to Ibrahim and Mukhtar (2017), kidnappers make extensive use of phones. Every transaction is through cell phones. During negotiations, numerous sim cards are used and discarded. The idea behind this, is to avoid tracking by network companies. Sometimes kidnappers hold their captives longer in order to demand more from the relatives of the victims. During the process of negotiation, the victims are tortured severely and in the course of the excruciating pains, they desperately appeal to their relatives to respond or agree to the terms of their abductors. In most cases where the ransom is high, the family resort to selling their properties in order to pay for the release of their loved one. In their networking transaction negotiations are made at different strategic locations by those in the tax force team, in their smart nature, once an agreement is reached, they dribble the person coming to supply the money for a longer time and from one place to another, just to make sure that he/she is not accompanied by any other individual. Sometimes, the victims die before their release either because of illness or as a result of severe torture.

6.0. Effects of Kidnapping on Educational System in Nigeria

According to Dantala (2014), one of the greatest challenges facing the education industry in Nigeria is kidnapping, which is part of the insecurity issues in the country. The consequences of kidnapping on the Nigerian educational system can be seen in its lack of growth and development. For more than two decades now, it has been observed that educational institutions are the major targets of the kidnappers. The kidnappers see lecturers, proprietors, principals and some school teachers as wealthy men and women in the society. In their conception education is a lucrative business. Several incidents of kidnapping have been recorded among education personnel.

Nigeria has witnessed several cases of kidnapping of school children. The greatest among them is the kidnap of the girls during President Goodluck Jonathan’s regime; their abduction came as a challenge not just to the federal government but to states, religious bodies and every Nigerian. The federal government spent huge sums of money for their release, all to no avail as there was no trace of the kidnappers, let alone the girls. It took some years before some of the girls were released and one could imagine what would have been the experience of their parents throughout these periods. It is on the national papers that cases of kidnapping are increasing day by day without any assurance of a lasting solution. The effect of kidnapping remains traumatic as the victims pass through excruciating pains.

7.0. Effects of Kidnapping in Nigeria

In all areas, the effects of kidnapping are devastating, no matter the type of kidnapping one encounters. Victims are humiliated and dehumanized irrespective of their age, position, socio-economic status, level of education and popularity. The psychological trauma alone can increase the blood pressure of the victim and this can lead to stroke (Kaylor, 2015).

Generally, there are grievous effects of kidnapping both on the victims, relatives, associations, community and society at large. The forceful removal of a person traumatizes the victim as well as his/her relatives and friends. Such ugly news creates tension among the relatives who are then given one possible solution to affect the release of the victim. During this period of abduction, the victim loses the contact of his relatives and friends (Orset2008).

In most cases, female victims are sexually abused as a result of kidnapping. This act exposes the person to the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Many ladies get impregnated by the criminals. Any form of resistance or refusal could lead to the death of the victim. This issue of constant rape by kidnappers is an ugly experience female victim cannot forget easily. Some, after their release, conceal that information in order to avoid having a contemptible reputation before their husbands and relatives (Clark. 2004). It has been severally reported that many victims lose their lives in the hands of kidnappers without a trace of their corpses. Some lose their lives during the kidnapping operation while some that need medical attention die during severe torture.

According to Catlin Group (2012), it has been estimated globally that ransom payments could be US$500 million annually. So, kidnapping also accompanied with huge economic implications, the Nigerian Government spent billions of Naira to release the Chibok Girls money which should have been spent on the masses and development projects is now diverted to payment of ransom to criminals. Similarly, parents and relatives suffer financial distress seeking to borrow money to pay the ransom. This aspect can take a family into abject poverty. This economic implication, according to Clark (2004), is a worldwide experience that has ravaged most developing countries in the world.

8.0. Theoretical framework

8.1. Routine Activity Theory

Cohen & Felson (1979) explain how motivated offenders exploit weak security structures to carry out abduction. This theory explains that crime occurs when three elements converge: a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian. In Nigeria’s context, the widespread poverty, weak policing and inadequate community surveillance create opportunities for kidnappers to operate freely.

8.2. Strain Theory

Strain theory developed by Robert K. Merton, argues that crime results from a gap between culturally approved goals (such as wealth and success) and the legitimate means available to achieve them. When individuals or groups are unable to reach these goals through lawful channels, they may resort to deviant methods, including kidnapping and ransom collection as alternative routes to success.

By combining both theories, the study provides a comprehensive understanding of kidnapping in Nigeria.

9.0. Efforts Made By the Government to Curb the Menace

Kidnapping is on the increase in Nigeria and it is prevalent across the six geopolitical zones. It aggravates the level of insecurity in the country. Both past and present government administrations have never relented in their effort to fight and reduce kidnapping in Nigeria. Though kidnapping takes different forms and names ranging from human trafficking, political assassination to other forms of abduction.

The anti-terrorism programme that was set up to combat all forms of terrorism has been silenced as there are still cases of Boko Haram insurgency, Fulani herdsmen and Niger Delta militants overpowering the government (Onovo.2009). Recently, the inspector general of police announced on the television that a special squad has been trained to face kidnapping in the country. Even the army chief of staff assured the entire country on television that their special anti-terrorism squad has dealt mercilessly with Boko haram terrorists and there are no hideouts for them anymore. But it has been found out that some of that news are fake. They were designed to impress the masses and to maintain their pride as soldiers.

According to Okoro (2010) unless the government addresses the issue the efforts will be in vain. The unemployed youths must be engaged, otherwise they will continue to be tools in the hands of corrupt politicians. From the look of things, it appears that unemployed graduates are increasing day by day, and this portends grave danger to the society. These youths invariably look for alternative means of survival.

10.0. Conclusion

Kidnapping is still on the increase because the government’s effort is not enough to curb the menace. Such human trafficking should not be handled as an ordinary thing, rather it requires drastic measures to jettison it. The six geo-political zones in Nigeria are faced with different version of kidnapping. In the North East and North West, kidnapping is Boko haram insurgency and herdsmen attacks. In the Niger Delta region of the South-South and South East, militants have adopted kidnapping as an insurgent strategy to abduct foreigners and to seek ransom to champion their violent movement. The willingness of the government to combat corruption will help to reduce the rate of kidnapping and other criminal activities going on in the country.

11.0. Possible Solutions

In order to address the challenge of kidnapping, there is an urgent need for collective effort of the government, foreign government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), communities, families and other vulnerable groups should team up to address the menace. Adequate measures against kidnapping should be taken. These measures require immediate attention. It is further recommended that:

• There is a greater need for the Nigerian government to revisit poverty alleviation programs and employment opportunities.
• For effective combat of kidnapping, the level of laxity in the law implementation process to prosecute offenders should be addressed urgently.
• Engage community leaders in the fight against kidnapping.
• Encourage NGOs to participate through public awareness programs.
• Anti-terrorism programs should be made alongside anti-kidnapping programs in Nigeria.
• Law enforcement agents should be adequately trained and equipped.
• Consider severe constitutional sanctions against kidnappers.
• Religious organizations should preach against kidnapping and educational institutions should offer counseling.

12.0. References

Kidnapping in Nigeria; A social threat to educational institutions, Human Existence and Unity by Peter C. Ekechukwu and Prof S.D Oscar

Impact factor (JCC): 1.3648 Challenges of hostage – Taking and Kidnapping in the South Eastern in Nigeria by Nathan Protus, Uzorma John Nwanegbo-Ben

Cohen, L.E, & Felson, M. (1979). Social change and crime rate trends; A routine activity approach 

Merton, R. K. (1938); Social structure and anomie.